Decker awoke with a splitting headache.

"Ugh, my head," he complained. His voice sounded exactly like Vega's. He even had his inflection.

"Yeah, it's basically going to feel like that for as long as the brain wave spoof is active," said Helios. "That one you can go ahead and turn off though."

Decker did so immediately. He still had that nagging feeling in the back of his mind, when you know you're in pain that you just aren't experiencing.

"This is a temporary disguise," Helios warned. "You get 24 hours, maybe as many as 48, before it starts falling apart. You'll lose the brain wave pattern first so watch for that."

"Right," said Decker.

"You should be able to get into the inner rings now without issue. Remember you need to find someone who resembles one of the three of us as near as possible, someone with network access codes," said Aranarth "Make sure you actually observe them using a networked terminal. It's the only way to be sure."

"Height is the most important factor to try and match," added Helios.

"Once you have your target you'll have to get them out of the inner rings on your own. We'll wait for you at the doorway so we'll be able to help the rest of the way, but inside it's going to be all you. Take that into account. Ideally the target should walk out on their own with you. However, if you need them..."

She handed Decker a pair of 'trodes like the ones she used on Mr. Vega.

"Whatever you do, don't warp in your suit. You will trigger every active scanner in the station."

"We only get one shot so we cannot afford failure," said Aranarth.

"I can do this," said Decker, pulling his shirt back on. "I won't let you down."

Aranarth didn't have anything snarky to say about that, and Decker chose to take it as a vote of confidence.

* * *

The station's rings were connected by spoke-like corridors bristling with security. They were about as far away from the docks as you could get and it took the rangers hours to walk there.

"Go on in. We'll be waiting on this side for you, out of sight," said Aranarth, once they made it to the security gate, the border between the exterior and interior rings.

"See you on the other side," said Decker.

"No, you'll see us back on this one," Ophelia corrected him, as he walked away.

Decker approached the large metal gate to the security corridor. He willed it to open.

<Face... accepted> said a voice inside Decker's head. <DNA... accepted. Brain-scan... accepted. Welcome back Mr. Gaius Vega.>

The door slid open. Decker walked through and it slammed shut behind him dangerously fast. Decker jumped a little. Then he saw the two red-eyed security drones at the end of the corridor, and he tried to recover his dignity like a cat.

As Decker passed the two drones he nodded to them.

"Gentlemen," he said.

He willed the second door open and it responded after a repeat of the procedure from the first. Decker was starting to feel pretty confident in his disguise.

The interior rings were smaller and laid out less like a city and more like the interior of a single building. Dull hallways sprawling off one-another like some endless maze led to room after room filled with identical office alcoves. The ceiling was low enough that Decker imagined there must be fifty floors of the same thing above him as well. It looked less like a place and more like a metaphor for something.

Decker could see human employees and worker drones running this way and that, but mostly it was just thousands of thousands of people working at just as many computer terminals. While all of these terminals were connected to computer networks of all kinds, only a select few would have access to the network. The mother network that would have the proof Decker and his group needed.

Decker wasn't sure how he'd know a proper terminal when he saw one, but he was pretty sure it wasn't going to be in one of these low-level office blocks. He continued to stride through the halls with false purpose while in reality just aimlessly wandering around. If figured the more important offices would be deeper into the interior.

Decker could not put his finger on what he didn't like about this place. He had never in his life seen anything as soul-draining as an office building, so his mind was unable to contextualize the level of bland mediocrity that was assaulting his senses. The sameness of the place meant he as quickly losing his bearings. He had to keep verifying where he was with his implant.

As he was trying to figure out where he was for the fourth time Decker saw another dangerous-looking security drone floating along on patrol. It was heading right for him. Decker was initially just going to try to act casual and let the drone pass, but then he remembered how helpful the one from before had been.

Drones were easy, Decker reasoned. He could deal with a drone. Just treat it like a peacekeeper.

"Hey!" said Decker. The drone turned around to face him.

"I need you to take me to the nearest computer terminal with access to the mother network."

The drone checked Decker's face against it's databank of employees. It didn't like the looks of this guy so it scanned his DNA too. It all checked out, but he was just a salesman.

"You're not authorized to access such a terminal," it said.

"I know," said Decker, as though it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy. "I'm not going to access it."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"You're not authorized to know that."

"I am an Alpha-class Security Drone!" barked the drone. "I have the highest possible clearance. There is nothing I am not authorized to know."

"There's a level of secrecy above your clearance. You're just not authorized to know about it."

"Why would a lowly salesman be privy to such a clearance level and not I?"

"You're not authorized to know."

"That checks out," the drone was forced to admit.

"Look just take me to the terminal. You can watch me not use it for as long as you like. You don't need to worry about my many secret clearances I'm not asking you to do anything either of us isn't already authorized to do."

"You have a point," said the drone. "It is not my job to deal with all this red tape. I'll show you to the terminal and let the drones in that sector figure you out."

"Thank you," said Decker. "You don't realize it yet but you are going to be handsomely rewarded."

"Right this way, Mr. Vega," said the drone, leading him down the hallway.

Just like a peacekeeper drone, thought Decker, following behind.

The drone led him deeper into the maze. Decker was certain he'd already be lost without his implant. He had no idea how humans ever found they way around back before cybernetics. They must have gotten lost constantly.

They passed many more people as they made their way through the hallway but Decker was escorted by his own private security drone now. He looked too important to bother. Other security drones didn't waste any time scanning him either. He was obviously already being taken care of.

Finally the drone came to a stop in front of a door. It slid open at the machine's mental command and it led Decker inside.

It was some kind of a computer room. There were four high end holoscreen terminals spread around the room connected to large black spheres of computronium embedded in the wall. Or probably radical calctronium or whatever it was called.

This was probably the place Decker was looking for. Unfortunately there weren't any people here.

"You should know if you attempt access to the network and the security AI does not give its approval I will be summoned back to this room and I will use particle beams to reduce your body to molecular dust."

"How colorful," said Decker. "As I already explained, however, I'm not going to access the network. I'm not interested in doing so."

"There is no one else here. There are only terminals. If you are not going to use one then what is your purpose for being here?"

"That's above your clearance," said Decker.

"I am skeptical that is true," said the drone. "I will remain here with you to ensure you do not attempt to access the network in an unauthorized manner!"

"That suits me," said Decker.

Decker waited while the drone watched him. Eventually a man came in to use one of the terminals. Decker watched the man go through onerous security procedures just to briefly enter some data and then leave. Unfortunately he was far too short for Aranarth to believably portray.

More people trickled in and out. None of them gave any trouble to the watchful man with his arms crossed accompanied by a security drone. Decker didn't look like someone any of them wanted the attention of.

"You have been standing idly for three hours and twenty seven minutes now," said the drone. "I am accountable for my time, are you not?"

"I never asked you to stay," said Decker.

"I will stay until I get to the bottom of whatever is going on," replied the drone.

The two went back to waiting in silence.

Finally a woman came in who could pass for Helios. Same build, roughly the same hair, probably about the same height. It was as close as he was going to get. He couldn't get unrealistically picky he had a limited amount of time to pull this off.

It was fine, though. She'd be fine, Decker assured himself.

"Woah," said Decker, getting between the woman and the terminal. "Didn't you get the memo? Your team is supposed to restrict access to the terminals to bare essentials until further notice."

"I didn't get a memo..." said the woman, frantically checking her implant for a forgotten memo. "No there's nothing in here about a memo. I'm triple checking."

"That's worrying," said Decker. "I'd get that looked into if I were you dropped messages can be a warning sign of catastrophic hardware failure."

The woman looked over at the security drone, then back at Decker. She figured this person must be with station security.

"You're sure there was a memo?" she asked.

"Everyone else got it," said Decker.

"What I'm doing is essential though. I need to use this terminal to do my job," said the woman. "I need to update-"

"Look, I get it," said Decker. "It's not up to me though. If you want you can come with me and make your case to my supervisor. Ask her for permission."

"Thank you."

"Hey, you okay on your own from here out?" Decker asked the drone.

Decker hadn't said anything the drone had any specific objections to, although it still wasn't sure what was going on. It was getting more and more worried the reason for this confusion was the existence of a secret security clearance to which it was not privy.

"I was designed to work solo!" snorted the drone, and it left in a huff.

"Drones," said Decker. The woman laughed.

(Chapter continues in Part II)